Sunday April 28 (Hybrid)
Teisho, (pronounced “TAY-show”), is a formal (though largely extemporaneous) commentary given at Rochester Zen Center by either Sensei Dhara Kowal or Sensei John Pulleyn while facing the altar. In sesshin it is usually on a koan or other Zen text, whereas outside sesshin it may be on a non-Zen article or book. A teisho is…
Wednesday May 1 (In-person)
“Youth Night in the Zendo” (for children 9 years+) is held weekly on Wednesdays at 6-7pm except during sesshin or when the Center is closed.  We gather in the link or in the dining room before heading into the zendo. The general structure is: three rounds of zazen divided over 30 minutes, and then 30…
Saturday May 4 (Hybrid)
At our Introduction to Zen Meditation workshops, we cover the basics of zazen: posture, breath practice, and kinhin (walking meditation). In Zen 101, we discuss the more outward forms of Zen practice such as: Prostrations: How do we do them and why? Traditional Zen chanting. Getting acquainted with some Zen terminology (e.g., Bodhisattva, Jukai, Rakusu,…
Sunday May 5 (In-person)
The Rochester Zen Center Youth and Family Program (affectionately called ‘Zen Kids’) meets on select Sundays from 8:30-10:30 am. We welcome children of all ages to our Youth Sundays, and families are invited to stay for our community brunch afterwards. Since we anticipate a wide range of ages, please RSVP Chris Maley (cmaley2@gmail.com) by Thursday evening…
Sunday May 19 (Hybrid)
Daily sittings are great, but an extended sitting is a chance to wade further into the waters of zazen. You’ll get a break from stress, a taste of a sesshin day, and maybe even a new perspective on your mind and life. Besides the usual sitting that will run from 8:30 to around 10:30, there…
Sunday May 19 (Hybrid)
You’re invited to join this hour-long, hybrid meeting of Uprooting Racism. We begin at 11:15 am (Eastern) in the Garden Conference Room at Arnold Park and on Zoom . The mission of Uprooting Racism is to gain personal insight into racism in order to abandon it on an individual level, dismantle it on an institutional…
June 1-8, 2024 (Hybrid)
Sesshins (Zen meditation retreats held in silence and seclusion) are offered about once a month at the Rochester Zen Center. They vary in length from two to seven days.
What to Know Before Applying to Sesshin
Sesshins are rigorous, demanding a great deal of the sitter….
Saturday June 15 (In-person)
Dokusan is a one-to-one teaching encounter in private given at this center by a fully authorized Zen teacher — either Sensei John Pulleyn or Sensei Dhara Kowal. It is open to those who have become members of the Center. Dokusan is geared to matters of practice in the narrow sense of the word (e.g., zazen), but…
Sunday June 16 (Hybrid)
Friends, our next Sangha meeting (hybrid) will be on June 16. Come in-person after the Sunday morning sitting at Arnold Park or use the usual meeting codes to attend on Zoom. One day, Ananda, who had been thinking deeply about things for a while, turned to the Buddha and exclaimed: “Lord, I’ve been thinking –…
October 10 - 24 (Hybrid)
Our next Term Intensive (TI) runs October 10-24, 2024. The Term Intensive offers us a supportive structure in which to extend our practice efforts for a set period of time. Participants pledge to uphold a schedule of increased sitting and, if they wish, other aspects of discipline that relate directly or indirectly to their Zen…